Is Your Library a Star? LJ Launches the Index of Public Library Service

Rebecca Miller -- Library Journal, 2/17/2009

Library Journal’s new national rating of public libraries, the LJ Index of Public Library Service, identifies the star libraries in the United States. It launched as a cover story in the February 15 issue of the magazine (“America’s Star Libraries,” LJ, 2/15/2009, p. 26-33) and here.

The index, by Ray Lyons and Keith Curry Lance and sponsored by Baker & Taylor’s Bibliostat, rates 7,115 public libraries according to four output measures that indicate public service—circulation per capita, visits per capita, program attendance per capita, and public Internet uses per capita—based on 2006 data collected by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and published in late 2008. The top libraries in each category, organized by ranges of operating expenditures, were then assigned five, four, or three Michelin guide-esque stars. A total of 256 libraries received star ratings. [For an FAQ that can help answer further questions about the Index, go here.]

State by state
A state-by-state glance shows the New York libraries walked away with the most stars, 34, with Ohio right behind, at 31. Among the five-star libraries from coast to coast and of all sizes are the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC; Middle Country Public Library, NY; Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH; Hennepin County Library, MN; Central City Public Library, NE; Salt Lake City Public Library, UT; Shuter Library of Angle Fire, NM; Pasadena Public Library, CA; and Delta Community Library, AK.

Lyons and Lance reflect on some of the factors impacting service levels, including location and demographics, organization and funding, and leadership and management. They offer guidance on how all public libraries can use the index to better assess their performance and find peer libraries. “Since the LJ Index rates libraries on four representative service outputs, it measures what may be thought of as ‘prerequisites’ for library quality and value,” they write. “A library that excels on the Index is very likely to be headed in the direction of high service quality and excellence.” They recommend that library administrators use the ratings as one of several measures of their performance and look at the libraries near them statistically for context on their performance. They also emphasize a need for more comprehensive data reporting.

Searchable data
All the libraries rated can be found at America's Star Libraries and, subscribers to Bibliostat Connect can search the data dynamically there. Additionally, the five-star libraries have been invited to submit ideas for all libraries to tap in the Models You Can Use section of the LJ Index. Over time, LJ hopes to expand this repository of good ideas to include submissions from all the star libraries.

For more, go to the LJ Index main page.